Road Trips Volume 3 Number 1

More Road Trips

The latest installment in our Road Trips series, now entering its third big year (and ninth release overall) is bound to become a favorite. Road Trips Vol. 3, No. 1 is the complete show from December 28, 1979, part of the sparkling run that has already given us the excellent Dick’s Picks: Vol. 5 (from 12/26/79). You’ll recall that these year-end concerts, held at the Oakland Auditorium because Winterland had closed down for good the previous New Year’s Eve, were the first holiday shows featuring new keyboardist Brent Mydland, who joined the band in April 1979.

The new lineup had been gaining momentum with each passing tour since that spring, and by December was truly hitting its stride. It helped, too, that the band was in the midst of recording their Go To Heaven album, so they were really playing together a lot during this period. This 12/28/79 concert is a blast: a super high-energy rock and roll show that also has its share of spacey jams and exploratory passages. The first set includes standout versions of “Sugaree,” “High Time” (rare enough that it always felt like a treat!) and “The Music Never Stopped,” while the second set opens with the always potent pair of “Alabama Getaway” > “Greatest Story Ever Told,” turns deep and introspective with “Playing in the Band” and “Terrapin,” and then later turns into a non-stop party with “Uncle John’s Band,” “I Need A Miracle,” “Bertha” and Good Lovin’.” If you’re not wiped out after that, the double-encore will waste you—“Casey Jones” and “Saturday Night”!

The sound on both discs is spectacular (it’s hard to beat great reels as source tapes), and as always the CDs have been mastered to the exacting HDCD spec, because you would accept nothing less. The colorful accompanying booklet contains a number of excellent Jay Blakesberg photos from those Oakland Aud. shows, as well as a typically inspiring essay by the always poetic Dead scribe Steve Silberman.

So it’s a win-win. A slam-dunk. A no-brainer. For more info on all the goodness packed onto these discs, click here. And when you finally come to your senses and decide that you can longer live another day without Road Trips Vol. 3, No. 1, you can order it here.

It would be great to have a separate section for the complaints and a separate section to discuss the music. I understand the need to communicate the customer service issues, but the forum gets overloaded by the subset of customers who have these problems and it discourages discussion of the music for the rest of us.

Well, my RT finally arrived yesterday, bonus disc included. So my long winding journey with this has come to an end. For those still waiting, keep banging on customer service. They stink at what they do, but as you can see with me, you will eventually be rewarded.

I learned a lesson with the free shipping. For the 77 box set, I went ahead and forked out the $10 for the overnight shipping. It was delivered a day before the official release date. Went with the free shipping on this one, got it a month after the release date. I guess I'll just stick with the expedited shipping since it isn't too expensive(here in the US). Good luck to the rest of you still waiting. Hopefully it will get resolved soon.

It's too bad a majority of the comments are a reflection of poor customer service. I view it as passionate people who are frustrated with a system that seems to fly in the face of what the Grateful Dead's music means to so many of us.

Anyway, folks like Marye certainly have helped out and she deserves a great big thank you from us.

Going forward, it is fabulous that so many releases have come forward from a band that stopped performing live about 15 years ago. What other band offers their fans this kind of availability of their achieves? Since it seems the Road Trips format is the successor to Dick's Picks and will be a 2 CD release, I would like to see some things (compilations /complete sets/complete shows...whatever) from 1966/67, 1970, selections from the 1980's and highlights of the 1990's (especially with "newer" songs).

With each release, I will evaluate whether it might be worth the frustrating ordering experience to get it.

First of all disc didn't arrive after various calls and emails for weeks to customer service that went unanswered. Finally cancelled it on my credit card. Lousy service like this means I'll just burn these off my friends in the future. Last road trips orderred included one CD that wouldn't even play in any cd player- Was not provided with a replacement after complaining to customer serivice. This company is running its self into the ground and I have no sympathy. Too bad, some good music here.

Please ignore Candyman’s comments. An agitator is looking for attention. If they do not receive the attention they are expecting, they will go somewhere else in an attempt to stir things up.
Anyhoo, I did finally receive mine and the sound is incredible. I guess I was one of the fortunate ones. Very good release!
I really hope everyone gets their issues resolved and they receive the bonus disk.

Who's Online

Online users

Newsletter

Get the latest news on Grateful Dead releases and more straight to your inbox.

By submitting your email address you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and are okay with receiving news, updates, special offers and occasional marketing messages from us and our affiliates.

Newsletter

Get the latest news on Grateful Dead releases and more straight to your inbox.

Signup!

By submitting your email address you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and are okay with receiving news, updates, special offers and occasional marketing messages from us and our affiliates.